Re: Bad pill day

[Sharon I Habing <yp_grammy@xxxxxxxx>]

That's what is so much fun about this disease-you never know what the
next day will bring!
Sharon H.
On Sat, 24 Apr 1999 18:23:51 -0500 Phil Tompkins <philtomp@xxxxxxxxxxx>
writes:
>Ever have one of those bad pill days, when it takes hours
>before your levodopa starts working?  Here's what I mean:
>(view with Courier font to make columns line up)
>
>Good pill day schedule as per neurologist:
>
>      Sinemet CR  Regular Sinemet  Eldepryl   Permax
>       50/200        25/100          5 mg      .25
>
> 7 am     1             1             1          1
>11 am     1            1/2            1         1/2
> 3 pm     1            1/2            -         1/2
> 7 pm     1            1/2            -          -
>
> Bad pill day, (or Where, oh where, has my Sinemet gone?):
>
>8 am      1             1              1          1
>         OK, it's Saturday.  The doses will be an hour later.
>8:30     Breakfast - Low fat cereal with hot water instead of
>         milk.
>9:30     ON.  Pill(s) kick in.
>11:30    OFF.  Much earlier than expected.  Did the CR start
>         working yet or not?  Did it reach the small intestines
>         where it is absorbed? Need a snack to provide evidence.
>noon     Plain oat bran muffin to stimulate gastric activity.
>12:30    ON again - Aha! That's the CR, just a bit late.
>12:45    Too early for the 2nd Sinemets, so I take just the 11 am
>         Eldepryl and the Permax.
>1:00 pm  Lunch: Assorted cold salad appetizers (takeout) from a
>         nearby Turkish restaurant.  Not really loaded with olive
>         oil, but some is present.
>1:15 -   Start afternoon nap.  That's what Saturday's for.
>2:50     OFF when I wake up.
>3        1 CR, 1 regular Sinemet (2nd Sinemet dose of the day).
>3:30 - 4:30 Various snacks and beverages to get the old innards
>         to move the pills out of the stomach.
>5:30     ON.
>
>And so it goes.  Levodopa works well enough once it gets to where it
>functions.  The delivery mechanism stinks.  Comments anyone?
>
>Phil Tompkins
>Hoboken NJ
>Age 61/dx 1990